A Place in this world
by DeanwillgodownwiththisShip
Summary: Rhiannon Ellis is twenty three years old but feels forty,she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere, when she loses control of her car on the way to work Rhiannon is somehow transported back to Camelot where she meets Arthur Pendragon himself...
1. Fate or Fake

**I own nothing in the show Merlin or any of the characters although Arthur… **

"Yes, once again my day sucked." Rhiannon sighed as she flopped onto the couch beside her dog Lucky, he looked up at her with a disinterested glance before resting his head on his paws once more and falling asleep. "Well you can't complain can you?" She accused him "Got a pretty sweet life here, fed well and get to sleep all day. You don't have to work all week in a terrible job, feeling like your life is passing you by without you actually living it do you?" Now she knew she was pathetic, she was actually envious of the dog.

Rhiannon was twenty-three years old and already felt forty, she worked as a receptionist in a dental surgery and was constantly dealing with obnoxious children who hated going to the dentist almost as much as she hated working there. Not exactly how she had planned her life to turn out. Rhiannon had always felt like an outsider, she had never really belonged anywhere and had yet to find the right guy.

Rhiannon had always fantasised as a child of finding a man just like the Knights of the Round Table, who still knew the meaning of chivalry and honour. She had long since given up on that dream believing that it was childish and unrealistic. Men in the 21st century were not like that, and she had to learn to accept it.

As she drifted off to sleep that night Rhiannon had dreams of a tall man in armour that shone in the sunlight that glinted off his sandy coloured hair.

The next morning Rhiannon went through the same routine she had followed for two years; get up, have coffee, get dressed, feed the dog then drive to work. It was second nature for her and everything she did in the morning became a big blur of events that all moulded into one. She got in the car and yawned massively, stretching her arms as high as they would reach in the car. Clearly one coffee wasn't enough this morning to wake her up. It may have had something to do with her interrupted sleep the previous night, she had tossed and turned all night dreaming of a strange man who intimidated and captivated her all at once.

Rhiannon was lost in her thoughts of the mysterious, handsome stranger from her dream as she drove the familiar road to the dental surgery, however she was so deep in thought she neglected to stay alert driving and watch the road. She looked ahead and saw a young child run across the road suddenly a few metres away from her vehicle travelling 60km/h on the main road. She gasped and jerked the wheel, swerving the car sharply to avoid the child at any cost. Rhiannon let out a gush of air as she saw the child run safely to the other side of the road and into the arms of a relieved looking woman, but her relief was short lived. Her car was swerving out of control, the wheel being ripped brutally from her grip jerking her arms sending a spasm of pain up them. Rhiannon realised she was in a great deal of danger when she saw a tree looming closer and closer by the second. Her brain suddenly kicked in and she was able to think more clearly, she stepped on the brakes, her only worry was stopping the car before the tree stopped it for her, she completely forgot about the braking distance required to stop and the speed she was already travelling at. As soon as she had put her foot down hard on the brake, she realised with a growing sense of dread that it was the wrong thing to do.

The car lurched to a stop, the front wheels stopping and skidding in the dirt as the front wheels dug into the ground and the back wheels were lifted up and the car threatened to tip all the way over. The tree had provided an unfortunate barrier for the car and had smashed the entire front leaving Rhiannon trapped in the front seat, lying unconscious with her head bleeding against the steering wheel.

Rhiannon was out cold and at this early time of the morning there was barely anyone around to aid her. She was wedged in the car, unconscious as if she was merely sleeping.

**This is going to be about Merlin the TV show although I hope to make it more about Rhiannon and Arthur for the time being. Not sure though, I think she might have a bit of a fling with Lancelot or Gwaine? Hmm as you can tell I haven't figured that much out yet! Please give me your thoughts on who she should get together with. **

**Thanks xoxo**


	2. We'll be a dream

**I own nothing in the show Merlin or any of the characters although Arthur… I wouldn't mind owning that **

"Ugh" Rhiannon winced as a blinding light hit her eyes. She tried to cover her eyes with her hand but a spasm of pain shot up her arm and she quickly let her arm drop back to her side once more. It all came rushing back, the accident. Her car slamming into a tree, threatening to tip over. Her head hitting the steering wheel and everything going black. If she was dead, it was nothing like she had imagined it would be. For starters she was still in agony.

She blinked a few times, trying to see more clearly. She was beginning to make out the silhouette of a person leaning over the top of her. Her heart began to beat faster out of fear as she realised she didn't know who this person was and if they meant her harm. She hoped they were friendly because she was in no state to defend herself, but this was the 21st century after all didn't know what to expect.

Finally her eyes began to adjust and she could see the person more clearly. It was a boy who looked to be a few years her junior grinning foolishly down at her. Rhiannon noticed that he had abnormally large ears…

"Uh-" Rhiannon croaked out painfully before her gravelly voice broke and the pain was too much for her to be able to say anything more. She meant to ask the boy, who she presumed was a nurse what hospital she was in. While she waited for the pain in her throat to subside she glanced around the room. It was a strange hospital that was for sure, the walls were stone and the doors were large and wooden. Come to think of it, Rhiannon hadn't heard the machines that were usually non-stop in a hospital. She was coming to the conclusion that she had ended up at a doctors house somewhere not far from where the accident had occurred when the young boy spoke. "The king and Prince Arthur will be pleased you have awoken Lady Rhiannon, they have both been deeply concerned for your wellbeing." He looked solemn.

Now Rhiannon was feeling like she was in the Twilight Zone. The King? Prince Arthur? Lady Rhiannon? She didn't recall telling the boy her name. she had barely been able to speak at all. This was all too weird, she figured she must be having some weird dream like the people on T.V and in reality she was in a coma in the hospital. It made sense to her, she had been thinking about the Knights of the Round Table before her accident so naturally her dream had been formed on her last conscious thoughts. _Oh well,_ she thought, she would just let herself enjoy this dream while it lasted. She was in need of some classic chivalry and who knows, she might just meet her _own_ knight it shining armour.

A woman bustled into the room; she was small and petite with tanned skin and dark hair that fell in a mass of ringlets around her face. The young boy who had spoken to Rhiannon earlier gave the woman a huge smile, which she eagerly returned. Rhiannon suspected there was something going on between the two, she smiled inwardly thinking they would make a sweet couple. "Gwen, this is the Lady Rhiannon." The boy introduced. "Lady Rhiannon this is Guinevere, she will be attending to all your needs during your stay in Camelot. I'm Merlin. Prince Arthur's manservant." He finished with a slight bow of his head.

Rhiannon took in all the new information. So she was in Camelot in this dream. Figures. The place where true chivalry and honour was born. In all the retellings of the legend she had seen, Guinevere was the daughter of King Lodegrance not a maid servant and Merlin was a famous wizard whose council was invaluable to Arthur. In this case Prince Arthur. Rhiannon wondered how her sub- conscious had made up all these new details. She pushed the thought out of her mind and instead focused on how Merlin knew who she was and thought she was a lady.

"Merlin, how did you know who I was?" She asked, hoping that her question was not a foolish one that would get her into trouble. Rhiannon sat up slowly in her bed, she was beginning to think that this wasn't a dream because every part of her body was in pain. Everything hurt except blinking, that didn't happen in dreams. She knew that for sure.

Merlin answered her eagerly, happy to have a purpose for being in her room. "My Lady, you have stayed in Camelot once before and your family is a friend to the King. The early morning Patrol was riding out as usual and they found you in the forest on the outskirts of Camelot. Your horse had thrown you and you had landed on a hard mound of rocks. The King was deeply concerned as was the Prince, he seemed to fancy you the last time you stayed in Camelot as I'm sure you remember."

Rhiannon was now sure she wasn't dreaming, she was smart but not smart enough to come up with all of this in a dream. She pinched herself just to make sure. It hurt. She gasped in pain and saw the concern flicker over the faces of Merlin and Gwen. She smiled to reassure them that she wasn't going to pass out any second.

Rhiannon highly doubted that Prince Arthur had taken a liking to her, she barely dated at all back home. She was quiet and only allowed herself to open up around her good friends. She was decent looking she supposed, her strawberry blonde hair fell in soft curls that framed her face. All her features were a good size, not too big or too small. She had clear blue eyes that people often told her were the colour of the ocean on a clear day. She was a medium height which meant she didn't tower over people but she wasn't tiny either and she weighed just the right amount for her so that she wasn't too large but she still had curves that accented her body just the right way. Rhiannon was happy with the way she looked and was comfortable with her own body. That was really all that mattered to her.

"I shall go and get Prince Arthur, I'm sure he would like to know that you have woken." Merlin bowed his head before slipping out the door.

Rhiannon felt butterflies start up in her chest as she wondered what the Prince would be like. Would he like her as much as he did the previous time they met? What if he figured out that she wasn't the same person? Because Rhiannon was sure she had never been to Camelot before. Then a thought crossed her mind, what if she didn't like him? If he spoke of his feelings to his father she surely couldn't refuse the Crown Prince. She hoped she liked him. In the mess of thoughts tumbling around her head, Rhiannon remembered that she had barely thought about her home back in the 21st century. She realised that she felt more at home here in Camelot than she did there. She felt like she belonged here.

The doors burst open to reveal him, Prince Arthur. Rhiannon felt all the air rush out of her as she saw him for the first time. Well… the first time in person. With a fluttering heart Rhiannon recognised the man standing in front of her with the sandy blonde hair and captivating blue eyes as the same handsome man from her dream.

She know knew without a doubt that she was meant to be here and that this was certainly no coma induced dream.

**Sorry this has taken so long to update! Have been really busy and I'm afraid its not going to stop soon so I might take a little longer to write more. Sorry! If you review however it might inspire me and get me excited to write more let me know what you think about this chapter.**

**Thanks xoxo**


	3. Memories that Fade like Photographs

**I own nothing in the show Merlin or any of the characters although Arthur… I wouldn't mind owning that **

"Ah Lady Rhiannon," Arthur said, breaking the long awkward silence at last. A slight blush crept onto his cheeks. Rhiannon, still flustered tried to gather her thoughts and say something the slightest bit intelligent. Thankfully Gwen saved her further embarrassment spoke first. "M'Lord, Lady Rhiannon has had such a scare, perhaps it might be best if we left her to rest?"

"Of course" Arthur replied, solemnly nodding his head in concern. "I will check in a again soon hopefully you will be recovered. For now I leave you in Gwen's very capable hands." He winked at them both before leaving the room. "Damn girl! Pull yourself together, gorgeous prince is checking you out and you sit there looking like a deer in the headlights!" She felt like such a loser, the last time she had felt that way was in 10th grade when the most popular guy in school Jack Donaldson started a conversation with her and all she did was stare and nod occasionally. Needless to say, that was the first and last time she ever spoke to Jack.

Rhiannon smiled gratefully at Gwen, without her help back there she would have been lost completely. "You are amazing Gwen, thank you so much for helping me out." Gwen simply smiled at her and continued to clean. Rhiannon hoped Gwen would become more comfortable around her, she was just the type of person Rhiannon would love to have as a friend.

**1 week later**

"Lady Rhiannon! You know I cannot do this dress up if you stand like that." Gwen struggled not to laugh as she pulled the countless strings on the dress. "I think these dresses were made specifically to punish women." Rhiannon barely managed to gasp as Gwen gave a mighty tug and managed to suffocate her even more than before. "Oh not at all M'lady, the dress is made to make a lady's figure more appealing." She explained carefully. Rhiannon snorted sarcastically, "How is not being able to breathe appealing?" Rhiannon's carefree attitude was only for Gwen's benefit; on the inside she was having a nervous breakdown. It had been a week and Rhiannon was now fully recovered, Prince Arthur had been in to visit a few times and on his last visit with her he invited her to spend the day with him.

Rhiannon was feeling more confident around Arthur after his visits, but Gwen was always around to help her out of any tough situations. She had been looking forward to spending the day with Arthur but the nerves were threatening to take over quickly. "So Gwen, tell me, do you have someone special that I don't know about?" Rhiannon laughed as the younger girls cheeks turned a deep red, "well come on then, I want details!"

"His name is Lancelot," Gwen began shyly. "He has not been in Camelot for long, but he dreams of being knighted one day." Gwen's face turned even more red with embarrassment. "He sounds wonderful Gwen, I'm glad. You deserve the best." Rhiannon said kindly, hoping to ease her embarrassment.

"There!" Gwen announce triumphantly. She held up a piece of metal in the shape of a mirror for Rhiannon to admire herself in. "Oh!" Rhiannon gave a small gasp of recognition when she saw the person reflected in the metal. Her hair had been intricately braided and pinned so that it was swept off her face and was piled delicately on the top of her head, her curls tumbling down her back. Gwen had woven flowers through her hair. Her dress was a work of art, the deep red of the material hugged her body and set off her hair perfectly. Rhiannon felt a rush of sudden confidence after seeing herself, "right, Arthur eat your heart out." She murmured to herself before flashing a quick smile of thanks at Gwen and leaving her room.

Arthur had his back to her but once he heard her approaching footsteps he turned to face her. His eyes drinking in her appearance, she smiled suddenly nervous once more. Her nerves were settled instantly as he smiled his warm smile at her.

They sat down for a picnic with beautiful fresh fruit and wine, Arthur made Rhiannon feel right at home. After a while she found it hard to remember that he was in fact a prince, he had such a unique sense of humour and they had laughed until she had tears running down her cheeks and could laugh no longer. It was getting later now and the sun was setting in the background, casting an orange glow all around them. Rhiannon glanced over at Arthur to find him gazing intensely at her. Arthur stared at her for a little while before smiling. "How about a short walk before heading back to the castle. I'm not sure I want today to be over quite yet."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Rhiannon said looking around. It had gotten dark very quickly and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out what waited in the woods after dark. "Lady Rhiannon, surely you aren't afraid of the dark? And with a knight of Camelot at your service?" Arthur chuckled as she blushed at her silly fear of the dark. "Oh come on then you silly prince!" Rhiannon tried to sound cross but was given away by her uncontrollable fit of giggles that burst out.

As they walked Arthur told her about his dreams for the future of Camelot, Rhiannon decided he would make a wonderful king as he was fair and honest. He genuinely cared for the people and their safety. He would risk his own life for the good of the people. Rhiannon was so content walking with Arthur; she was glad that she had somehow ended up in Camelot. She knew this was her home now and she didn't regret the accident that brought her there at all. She sighed happily and leaned against Arthur's strong body as he guided them through the woods.

A rustle in the trees behind them instantly woke Rhiannon up, she looked to Arthur for direction. He silently lifted his finger to his lips. Shh. He unsheathed his sword as silently as he could then turned to inspect the trees behind them. More crunching in the forest as someone, something approached them. Rhiannon could feel her heart beating rapidly with fear, Arthur stood in front of her protecting her from what was coming. The noises grew louder, they sounded almost clumsy. Rhiannon became less scared and more curious as the thing approached them. Finally after what seemed like hours, a figured burst from the darkness of the woods, panting.

"MERLIN!" Arthur roared. "you better have a darn good explanation for why you are following us, you bumbling idiot!" Arthur was furious, Rhiannon however was amused. Merlin looked like he was going to collapse with exhaustion and Arthur, well he just looked livid for being potentially afraid of his servant. "swallowing back a laugh, Rhiannon crouched down beside Merlin. "Merlin did you run all the way from the castle?" He shook his head vigorously and tried to pant out a few words. "I- I- jjj- ust – your- father." He pointed frantically at Arthur who was now curious at the mention of his father. "What Merlin? Spit it out already!" he commanded.

"Your father… has King Albin in the castle. His daughter sire, she is of age and the king, your father that is, well – he wants to forge an alliance with them.." Merlin trailed off but Rhiannon wasn't interested in Merlin for now, she was too focused on Arthur, his face draining of colour right before her eyes. "what does that mean Arthur?" Rhiannon asked tentatively, confused at his reaction.

After awhile Arthur looked at her, she was shocked to see the raw pain on his face. "It means, my father wishes me to marry King Albin's daughter."

**Sorry this has taken so long to update! I have been slack and hope to improve on that but… lets not get carried away. I'm trying to move the story along a little quicker because I think it was getting a little boring. Hopefully this chapter is ok. Please let me know what you guys think because if I don't get any suggestions from people then I don't really get inspired to write more so please don't hesitate to review. **

**Thanks xoxo**


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